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@tarsusi
Created October 6, 2023 07:26
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Difference between slice, substr and substring
TL;DR:
If you know the index (the position) on which you'll stop (but NOT include), use slice().
If you know the length of characters to be extracted, you could use substr(), but that is discouraged as it is deprecated.
Otherwise, read on for a full comparison
Syntax
string.slice(start,end)
string.substr(start,length)
string.substring(start,end)
Note #1: slice()==substring()
What it does?
slice() extracts parts of a string and returns the extracted parts in a new string.
substr() extracts parts of a string, beginning at the character at the specified position, and returns the specified number of characters.
substring() extracts parts of a string and returns the extracted parts in a new string.
Note #2: slice()==substring()
Changes the Original String?
slice() doesn't
substr() doesn't
substring() doesn't
Note #3: slice()==substr()==substring()
Using Negative Numbers as an Argument
slice() selects characters starting from the end of the string
substr() selects characters starting from the end of the string
substring() doesn't perform
Note #4: slice()==substr()
If the First Argument is Greater than the Second
slice() doesn't perform
substr() since the Second Argument is NOT a position, but length value, it will perform as usual, with no problems
substring() will swap the two arguments, and perform as usual
The First Argument
slice() required; starting Index
substr() required; starting Index
substring() required; starting Index
Note #5: slice()==substr()==substring()
The Second Argument
slice() optional; the position (up to, but not including) where to end the extraction
substr() optional; the number of characters to extract
substring() optional; the position (up to, but not including) where to end the extraction
Note #6: slice()==substring()
What if the Second Argument is Omitted?
slice() selects all characters from the start-position to the end of the string
substr() selects all characters from the start-position to the end of the string
substring() selects all characters from the start-position to the end of the string
Note #7: slice()==substr()==substring()
So, you can say that there's a difference between slice() and substr(), while substring() is basically a copy of slice().
If you want substr's functionality:
"foobarbaz".substr(index, length);
without using a deprecated feature, you can just do:
"foobarbaz".substring(index, length + index);
And get the exact same results bar all of the edge-cases, like negative index/length.
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